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Wall Building Tip Video

Hello, I'm Tim Carter of AsktheBuilder.com. I need to explain something that should have been explained in the last video.

You'll notice that not all the sheathing is on. This is the seam between the two top plates. One is 16-feet long and the other is 8-foot long. Now the top plate needs to be installed on the wall before the sheathing is installed. If you don't have this top plate on and when you go to lift the wall up, the people lifting the wall won't do it exactly at the same time and without the top plate, the seam will come apart. By putting on the top plate now, it locks the seam in place. In this case, I used a 16-foot 2x4 that goes back 8-feet from the seam in both directions.

One little tip. Notice that the top plate doesn't go all the way to the end of the wall. It ends 3-1/2 inches before the end. Just the size of a 2x4. This is done so the top plate from the adjoining wall overlaps and ties the two walls together. Be sure to allow room to tie your walls together. It makes for a stronger corner.